Pay

The University will pay up to 21 workdays per year for military training time off to employees who work at the UW an average of 20 hour or more per workweek. The year runs October 1 to September 30 (the federal fiscal year).

Beyond the paid 21 days, military duty leave is unpaid for the rest of your time in active duty, up to five years. However, you may use any accrued paid time off that you have available.

Shared leave

If you are called to service and have used, or are about to use, all of your accrued vacation and paid military training time off, you may be eligible to receive donations of time from other employees through theShared Leave Program.

Benefits continuation

You must remain in pay status at least eight hours per calendar month in order for the University to continue paying its employer portion of your health insurance. To meet this requirement, you may space out — or “intersperse” — your accrued paid time off in eight-hour increments across the months of your active duty.

The following types of paid time off may be interspersed:

Paid military leave

Vacation time off

Compensatory time

Holiday credit

Personal holiday

Shared leave

If you do not remain in pay status for at least eight hours in a calendar month, you will need toself-payfor that month (in other words, pay both your and the University’s portion) to keep your health insurance coverage active. For continuation of benefits, it is encouraged that employees apply paid time off on the first work day of the month.

Return to work

When you return from military duty leave, you are eligible to receive all the rights and benefits that you would have received if you had never been absent, such as pay increases, seniority, and vacation accrual rate.

Additionally, absences for military duty is considered time worked for determining FMLA eligibility, layoff seniority, and completion of a probationary or trial service period.

Notification

Prior to returning to work, you will need to notify your supervisor of your intent to return and provide a copy of your discharge documentation. The documentation should include:

Report to work the first scheduled work period on the first full calendar day following completion of service plus eight hours

31 to 180 days

Request reinstatement within 14 calendar days of completion of service

More than180 days

Request reinstatement no later than 90 days following completion of service

If you do not return to work within five years, the University will assume that you have resigned from UW employment. However, your return-to-work deadline can be extended for up to two years if you are hospitalized or convalescing due to a service-connected injury or illness.

Benefits

Vacation time off accrual

You will continue to accrue vacation hours each month as long as you have not taken 10 or more days of unpaid time off in the month.

Additionally, when you return to work, your vacation accrual rate will be adjusted as though you had been in UW pay status continuously during your absence — even if your time off or leave of absence was unpaid.

Salary Increments (classified only)

When you return to UW work, you will be placed at the salary step that you would have reached had you not been absent for military duty.

Seniority (classified only)

Your absences due to military duty— paid or unpaid — is included in seniority calculations.

Spouses and other family members

If you are a family member of a uniformed service member, you may be eligible for leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) if that service member is deployed.

Supervisor responsibilities

Follow your department’s usual leave approval procedure. However, prior to denying a military duty leave request, you must consult with your HR consultant to be sure the denial follows the law and University policy.